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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22620358">Not Far Behind</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/adelcrait/pseuds/adelcrait'>adelcrait</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Luke Skywalker Express is on his way, Luke has questions about his Father, Luke is Force-sensitive but doesn't know it, Obi-Wan Kenobi is a Mess, Obi-Wan is very sad, Obi-Wan's guilt is eating him alive but not to worry, Obi-Wan's heart explodes like nine times, Pre-ANH, someone give him a break</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 08:20:58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,643</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22620358</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/adelcrait/pseuds/adelcrait</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Obi-Wan's first years of exile are haunted by guilt and memories. During his last years, he is haunted by the ghost of Anakin Skywalker. Obi-Wan refuses to talk to him, until one day he does. That day also happens to be Luke Skywalker's sixteenth birthday, when he tells his uncle he wants to join the Rebellion but things don't go well. Title inspired by the quote: "Where there's Kenobi, you will always find Skywalker not far behind."</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Obi-Wan Kenobi &amp; Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi &amp; Luke Skywalker</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>104</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The author has a lot of feels about Obi-Wan's exile on Tatooine.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had been sixteen years since Obi-Wan Kenobi had last seen Anakin Skywalker. It had been sixteen years since Obi-Wan lived on Tatooine. It had been sixteen years since Obi-Wan died in the eyes of the Empire. It had been sixteen years since Obi-Wan realised the prophecy of the Chosen One had been misplaced, and his days were filled with regret.</p><p>The little home he made for himself was the first time he allowed himself possessions and attachments. In those dirty blonde walls he saw shadows of Satine and of Padmé, and when those shadows started to resemble Anakin, Obi-Wan forced himself to look the other way. He couldn’t bear to think about what he had done to Anakin: whom he had allowed his best friend to become. He knew of Darth Vader’s survival a year after Mustafar. He was at a cantina in Mos Eisley when the holos showed the Emperor and a dark figure by his side: he could have recognised that posture anywhere, even if Anakin was more machine now than man.</p><p>He stopped sleeping by year three and let the minimum connection he allowed himself with the Force keep him awake, but awake didn’t always mean sane. Sometimes he stayed up for days on end looking at Anakin’s lightsaber and not moving. Sometimes he dug the lightsaber deep into the sand only to retrieve it after a few hours. His attachment to the only physical thing that remained from Anakin was ridiculous, and Obi-Wan knew that. He had told Anakin that that weapon was his life and Obi-Wan had it in his hands now. He took Anakin’s life, figuratively and literally.</p><p>Things had changed across the galaxy. Whenever he visited Mos Eisley he heard about Darth Sidious, now the Emperor, and his right hand Darth Vader, but their names were whispered in shadows. He watched a life he knew very well, a life of war, through the holos in cantinas - and kept silent when people discussed what they would do in the war. They spoke about strategic issues that no longer mattered to Obi-Wan, because nobody spoke about what happened after the war. War changed people in ways nobody but those who fought would understand.</p><p><em>Anakin, Anakin, Anakin.</em> Obi-Wan felt his presence everywhere on the planet and he stopped trying to guess if he was hallucinating or if Tatooine still stunk from him. <em>Anakin, Anakin, Anakin.</em> Those became the same words he repeated before going to bed and awaking a few hours later covered in cold sweat, holding Anakin’s lightsaber. Those became the words he repeated whenever he got lost in thought and transported to different times. They became the words he whispered when he felt someone approaching him, turning around with teary eyes, only to find an ordinary person with an ordinary life, which Obi-Wan would have snapped for his at any second.</p><p>He tried to fit in with the locals but after years of living day to day during the war he didn’t know what to do with himself. They had accepted a meaningless life as they knew Tatooine was inescapable. Sometimes they talked about imperial sieges happening on the other part of the planet, and Obi-Wan retreated for weeks to his home and closed himself off from the Force. Someone had told him that long exposure to the Tatooine suns, <em>two suns</em>, made people look older; so Obi-Wan bathed in it.</p><p>His only hope was a boy whom he swore to protect, a boy who had yet to discover what was laid in front of him since the moment he was born, a child that gave him a breath of fresh air with each blink he made. Luke’s joy in life made Obi-Wan truly forget about all the whispers in his head. But when Luke turned seven, Obi-Wan wasn’t allowed to visit because Owen thought he would corrupt him.</p><p>Obi-Wan meditated on that. Would telling Luke about his family be considered corruption? And in fact, hasn’t Anakin always been corrupted in one way or another? The dark side had always been inside him: in his anger, in his impulsiveness, in his attachment to people and Obi-Wan had always looked the other way because Anakin was <em>good</em>. Anakin was his brother. Anakin was...Anakin was dead, and there was nothing else to it. It was easier to assume him dead than seeing what he had become, so if Luke ever asked, Obi-Wan would tell him that.</p><p>Eight years in, Obi-Wan meditated himself into such deep states of concentration that he spent days reliving memories from when Anakin was a child, scanning each day to see <em>the signs</em>. What had he missed? Anakin was in pain, and Obi-Wan had done nothing to help him.</p><p>Eight and a half years in, Obi-Wan meditated himself into all the memories he had of Palpatine, trying to see how the Jedi Order could have been so blind. After everything that happened, Obi-Wan could see clearly that Palpatine had been behind everything all along: the Republic, the Separatists, the Galactic Senate, the Sith, <em>Anakin</em>. He left Anakin alone for less than twelve hours and that’s all it took Palpatine. <em>Less than twelve hours. </em>Had Anakin been that troubled that it took him less than a day to fall into the dark side? Obi-Wan wanted to know when Anakin first felt the temptations. Obi-Wan wanted to know how much Anakin had hidden from him in fear of his judgement.</p><p>But more than anything, Obi-Wan wanted to blame the Council. He wanted to blame them for telling a child in slavery that he wasn’t good enough for salvation and a life of freedom. He wanted to blame the Council for not trusting Anakin but trusting him, even if Anakin and him were one. Their blatant dismissal of Anakin had always troubled him, but now it was flooding his brain with guilt. He should have been on Coruscant when it happened. If he had been there, Anakin wouldn’t have fallen.</p><p>He wanted to know when Anakin and Padmé got married and when Padmé discovered she was pregnant. Obi-Wan sometimes slipped into the What If's of what could have happened had things gone differently: perhaps they would all still be living in Coruscant, with Palpatine dead and the war over. The Skywalker family would be chaotic, the Jedi Order would see their failures and be restored into something new, something better, something that would prevent children from feeling like failures. Perhaps Anakin would have left the Order and stayed with Luke and Leia.</p><p>Leia. Obi-Wan hurt from not knowing if he would ever meet Anakin’s daughter. He often dreamed that she looked like Padmé but took after Anakin, since he had already confirmed that Luke took after Padmé but looked like Anakin. It stung, knowing all members of the family but never seeing them together. The Skywalker family was scattered across the galaxy, all dead in the eyes of each other.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Fifteen and a half years in, he started seeing Anakin’s ghost. Anakin appeared every night and chatted about the Jedi Order and Ahsoka’s latest missions. Sometimes he made fun of Yoda, and Obi-Wan never said a word. He couldn’t. He didn’t know if Anakin had become a Force ghost, or if this was the last attempt of the Force to keep him somehow sane.</p><p>Some nights Anakin’s ghost disappeared after a few seconds, other times he stayed through the night. Obi-Wan stopped trying to rationalise the Force and took whatever drop of Anakin the Force gave him. Sometimes Anakin appeared the age he was when he died, and that stung the most. Other times Anakin appeared as a younger version of himself, complaining about the Force, the other padawans, the Council and how unfair everything was. Obi-Wan sometimes smiled, other times he wanted to speak but the knot in his throat never allowed him to. He would never dare to interrupt Anakin. He only wished he never had spoken over him when he was still alive. He also didn’t want to speak for the fear of Anakin leaving. But none of it mattered: he was dead, and that’s all there was to it.</p><p>Obi-Wan sometimes allowed himself the pleasure of watching the holos of Darth Vader, even if he had already swore that Darth Vader was all but a shadow of Anakin. Darth Vader rarely spoke, but Obi-Wan noticed that his lightsaber clung to his belt in the same way Anakin’s did. And sometimes, in the rare holos there were of Vader slaughtering the “enemies of the Empire”, Obi-Wan saw how his free hand clung tight to his chest, the same way Anakin’s did in combat. Obi-Wan had become a thirsty hermit and those rare holos were water, even if the water was filled with poison.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I wanted Obi-Wan to be slightly out of character for the purpose of this fic. I wanted to explore this headcanon I have of him overthinking everything that had happened after Order 66 and just losing himself in guilt, and we know that he was lonely as hell on Tatooine. I can't wait to see what Obi-Wan actually did during his exile when the Kenobi series is released.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Luke was nervous. It was his sixteenth birthday so he hoped that his uncle would listen to him. He had it all planned: he would approach the subject during lunch but after his uncle had eaten, because that’s how his uncle was. Food made him less grumpy, and he couldn’t blame him.</p><p>They ate lunch in silence, with only Beru monologuing about the weather and the vaporators needing repairing. Luke observed his uncle, who only nodded here and there, he wasn’t listening. Meanwhile, Luke’s mind was racing with all the possible outcomes of the conversation.</p><p>After they finished eating and Beru was about to stand up, Luke coughed and felt his heart race. “Can I talk to you about something?” he asked. He wanted to make sure he was keeping eye contact but his eyes fell to his plate.</p><p>“Yes, of course.” said Beru, sitting down. His uncle was looking at him, but he didn’t look displeased. </p><p>“I’ve been thinking about this,” he said, pointing his head towards the house with no real direction, “and...don’t get me wrong. I love you and I’m very thankful for what I have, but…” his throat felt dry.</p><p>“But?” asked Owen.</p><p>Luke took a deep breath. “I want to join the Imperial Academy and become a pilot.” His words came out fast and mumbled and he started sweating. He could feel the tension palpable in the air and continued speaking because he didn’t know if he could bear the silence. “I want to do something with my life, and I’m still young! But,” he stopped and coughed, “But not too young. I don’t want you to think this is something I’ve thought about just yesterday, I’ve been thinking about this for a few months now and I really want to do this. I understand it’s not easy to-”</p><p>He was interrupted by his uncle. “Luke.” </p><p>Luke stared at him, terrified.<em> This was it. </em></p><p>“It’s dangerous and you’re too young. No.” </p><p>Luke had expected the rejection, but still it hurt. “I’m not too young, I checked!”</p><p>“Good, so you can join later, once you’ve grown up.”</p><p>“But I am grown up! I’ve bought my own speeder with my own money! And it’s still intact.”</p><p>Owen shook his head and Beru looked at him. “Luke, you really need to think about this.”</p><p>Luke clenched his jaw. “I have thought about this! It’s what I want to do. Do you think I enjoy the Empire?”</p><p>“Is this about politics?” asked Owen.</p><p>“When is it ever not about politics?” replied Luke. “The Empire is oppressive. If there’s something that can be done against it, I want to take part in it.”</p><p>“Oh, so you want to join the rebels now?” mocked Owen.</p><p>Beru intervened. “Luke, I think you need some more time to plan this. How about in two years?”</p><p>Luke looked at his aunt and calmed down. “We could be dead in two years. The Empire spares no one.” he said, still on the defensive.</p><p>“Luke.” warned his aunt.</p><p>“What? I’m telling the truth.” said Luke.</p><p>“You can’t just go and think that your contribution to the rebels would change anything!” snapped Owen, “They’ve done nothing to spare civilians of the Empire, nothing! It’s all propaganda, same as the Empire.”</p><p>“Well, I want to change that.” said Luke, struggling to keep his voice down. “Each contribution matters.”</p><p>“Luke, you’re so naive! At your age I was the same, tell him Beru. I wanted to change the world and things like that, but once you grow up, you’ll see it the same way I do. You need to think about making a steady living and not...flying yourself into death for a cause that doesn’t matter!”</p><p>Luke felt something inside him boiling. It had always been there, but now it was shouting to get out. “I can’t believe this! If that’s what you think, I respect it. I’m fine with waiting one more year to join the Academy, but I’m not losing hope on the Rebellion.”</p><p>“You should,” said Owen. “If you want to do something with your life I know a man that runs a shop in Mos Eisley. They need more mechanics.” </p><p>Luke watched him in disbelief. “Do you think that’s what I want? I think that’s what you want for me, uncle. I don’t want that and, deep down, I’ve always hoped that some of my father’s talents have passed down to me...” said Luke, “But I have no way of knowing that if I at least don’t try.” he said slowly.</p><p>Owen sighed and rubbed his temple. He was too old for teenage rebellions. “Luke, your father had no talents!” </p><p>“What?” asked Luke, shocked and offended.</p><p>“He was a pilot for the Republic, so what? Where’s the greatness in that?” asked Owen.</p><p>Luke sneered. “You said he was a<em> great </em>pilot–”</p><p>“You were young! Everything was <em> great </em> to you.”</p><p>“But–”</p><p>“I’ve met him once, and from only one look I’m telling you now: it wasn’t an easy life. The man didn’t look happy.”</p><p>Luke crossed his arms. “At least he fought for what he believed in.”</p><p>“And look where that’s gotten him.” said Owen. “His own recklessness and Jedi religion killed him. Is that what you want?”</p><p>Luke was shaking. “What if I do? Why don’t you let me do what I think is right?!” he asked loudly. His frustration went beyond the Tatooine suns.</p><p>“Because you’re going to get yourself killed for being stupid! Why isn’t your life here enough?” shouted Owen.</p><p>“Because I don’t want to end up like <em> you </em>!” shouted Luke, his jaw clenched. </p><p>Beru stood up. “That’s enough!”</p><p>Luke stood up, picked his plate and left it in the sink, leaving the room. Something inside was threatening to explode, and Luke wasn’t sure that he could keep it locked for any longer.</p><p>“Where are you going?” asked Beru.</p><p>“Out. I need some air.” he shouted, not looking back. <em> Or to get myself killed, haven’t decided yet. </em>He walked fast towards his speeder and headed to see Biggs.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>trigger warning: obi-wan hits his lowest point, mental breakdown.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Obi-Wan calculated that it was Luke’s sixteenth birthday. Obi-Wan stopped measuring how many years had passed as he wanted to remember the day as the twins’ birthday, not as the day of their father’s death. But it was the day of their father’s death, and his heart stung. Sixteen years had passed since he murdered Anakin, his best-friend and brother, someone he swore to protect and teach, someone he loved.</p><p>He went through his daily routine with a bit more concentration to get his mind off the knot pulsing in his throat. He had to work on the vaporators and perhaps fix the hole in the ceiling he made himself, or perhaps he could continue working on the fence he built around his home. He knew it would do nothing against intruders, but it kept him busy. He enjoyed keeping busy, but the Force had other plans.</p><p>Anakin’s ghost decided to appear in broad daylight while Obi-Wan was circling the perimeter outside his home, planning out the fence measurements. Obi-Wan sensed a shift in the Force and looked at the ghost. Anakin was the same age he died, Obi-Wan could recognise the clothes. He cursed the Force and then remembered that he still didn’t know if the appearances were his unconscious’ attempts at keeping him sane or if it was the Force trying to keep him alive to protect Luke. </p><p>He thought that if Anakin was indeed physically dead and this was his force ghost, perhaps Anakin wouldn’t recognise him. He was much older now, his hair considerably greyer. His face had more wrinkles and his skin was more tanned. And perhaps that would be a good thing, because Obi-Wan wasn’t ready for conversation. Sixteen years of thinking about everything he would have wanted to say, yet his sentences still stopped after “Anakin, I…” </p><p>Anakin’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. “What are you doing, Master?” asked Anakin, smiling at him. Obi-Wan looked away and ignored him. “You know, it’s been sixteen years today. I thought you would be over it.”</p><p>Obi-Wan didn’t want to speak to him, because speaking would mean establishing a bond and acknowledging he was there, whether he was real or not. </p><p>“I’m not doing any better, if you’re wondering. Have you seen me lately? I look as if Grievous and Dooku had a child, for Force’s sake.”</p><p>Obi-Wan supressed a smile and continued staring at the ground, pretending he was busy calculating the distance between the fence and the house. </p><p>“You’ve been working on this fence for months now, Master.”</p><p>Obi-Wan didn’t answer.</p><p>“Have you thought about opening a shop at Mos Eisley or something? You’re a good negotiator. You’re <em>The Negotiator</em>. Tatooine could do with more rational people...”</p><p>Obi-Wan walked away, and Anakin followed behind. “...and you could do with meeting some new people.”</p><p>Obi-Wan wanted to beg for Anakin to go away, but he was afraid that he actually would.</p><p>“You know, out of all people in the Council I thought you’d be the last one to become a hermit,” laughed Anakin, “I’ve thought about it, look. Mace Windu would be the first. I’ve always imagined him arguing with rocks, telling them they have, I don’t know, exhibited immoral behaviour or something.”</p><p>Obi-Wan mentally agreed. <em> Was he agreeing with his own self?  </em></p><p>He was walking in slow circles around the house, with Anakin not so far behind.</p><p>“Next would be Yoda. He’s probably a hermit now too. I don’t blame the guy for anything, he’s been quite kind to me compared to...But I’ve always liked Plo Koon better.’ he said, and then whispered melodically through laughs, “The man barely spoke!”</p><p>Seeing that Obi-Wan wouldn’t answer, Anakin looked at him and stopped on his tracks. “Obi-Wan, look at me, please.”</p><p>Obi-Wan stopped but didn’t turn around.</p><p>“You can’t keep pretending I’m not here.”</p><p>Obi-Wan spoke to Anakin for the first time in months. His voice came out very soft and small, a mere whisper through his throat that held unshed tears. “You’re not here.”</p><p>Anakin walked to stand in front of him, smiling, and Obi-Wan avoided his gaze. “At least you’re talking to me now. I hope the next thing you do isn’t leaving me to burn alive or something,” he said laughing. </p><p>Obi-Wan’s eyes shot up to look at him, and Anakin’s expression became lethal. “Right…” he said nodding and smiling, “...because you did.” The smile faded and Anakin’s expression became the same one he had on Mustafar. Anakin’s eyes turned yellow and he started walking towards Obi-Wan, who took some steps back to keep distance.</p><p>“I’m dead, Obi-Wan, and my death wasn’t pleasant. It hurt like nothing’s ever hurt me. Not like my mother’s death, not like a ship crash or the dozens of poisonous drinks we’ve been given during the war.” he roared, “It hurt like you. It hurt because of you.”</p><p>“Are you proud of what you did? You protected what you stood for. What was it you said? Your allegiance was to the Republic and to democracy. Are you happy? Where’s your democracy now? Obi-Wan, tell me. Was it worth it?”</p><p>Obi-Wan couldn’t take this. He turned to leave but Anakin took him by the arm and turned him around with enough strength to break a bone. Then, Obi-Wan could see how Anakin’s youthful face paled and he lost his hair. Instead of Anakin’s face was the mask of Darth Vader, his mechanical breathing filling Obi-Wan’s ears and echoing across the planet.</p><p>Darth Vader pressed harder into Obi-Wan’s arm. “This is your fault Kenobi, and I will appear every single night if that’s what it takes for you not to forget.”</p><p>Obi-Wan flinched and shook himself off from Darth Vader’s grasp, taking a few steps back. Darth Vader was gone. </p><p>Obi-Wan ran to his front door, anywhere but where Darth Vader had stood, and looked at the horizon. He flinched at the brightness of the suns, and closed his eyes. <em> It’s not real. It’s not real. He’s dead. He’s dead. Oh….he’s dead. </em> A tear rolled down his cheek and he swept it away, sniffling silently, almost embarrassed that Anakin or Qui-Gon would catch him crying. <em>But they’re dead. </em>Obi-Wan’s knees started to shake violently and he fell to the ground. Poison spilled down his throat and he thought he was choking. His whole body was aching and he allowed himself to curl down in the sand. <em> Nobody will see you here. You could lie for days and no one would notice. </em> Obi-Wan closed his eyes and felt how the entire galaxy was pointing fingers at him. <em> Anakin, Anakin, Anakin. </em> Nobody would see him there, on top of a hill on Tatooine. His muscles ached from the tension he was holding and he let go. <em> Anakin, Anakin, Anakin. </em>He laid still on the sand, the heat making his face burn.</p><p>He curled on himself and stared at his old house without blinking. “There is no emotion...” he mumbled through tears, voice but a small high-pitched whisper, “...there’s p-peace.” <em> There was no peace anymore.   </em></p><p>“There is no ignorance...there’s know-ledg-ge.” he mumbled, rocking himself back and forth, feeling the sand getting into his clothes from the movement. <em> I am the most ignorant man in the galaxy. </em></p><p>He took a deep breath trying to calm the sobs coming through. “There is no passion...there’s serenity.” <em> Anakin was hardly serene. </em><br/><em><br/></em>“There is no chaos...there’s harmo-mony.” he struggled to speak through the sobs. <em>Is this harmony, Anakin?</em></p><p>He took a last deep breath and laid himself horizontally, looking at the sky. It’s been years since he last saw rain.</p><p>“There is no death....there is the Force.” he spoke the words with perfect clarity as if he was addressing the Council. Perhaps he was. Perhaps this was all a bad dream and he would wake up in Coruscant or in a mission because he blacked out, with Anakin by his–</p><p>Obi-Wan screamed. It echoed across the mountains. <em>Nobody will hear a thing. </em>His throat was aching and he closed his eyes, a tear falling into the sand. </p><p>He pleaded to the sky. “Anakin, please.”</p><p>“I...I have so much to tell you, so many things to ask you I– I...” he stopped, “I don’t think I’ll ever forgive myself for what I did to you–you...you were...a better Jedi I could ever hope to be...That’s what I told you, before you...before Utap...before I left you.” </p><p>He pressed his hands to his face and swept off some sand, accidentally creating friction and leaving his skin red. “Wherever you are now. Wherever you are now–” But what could he possibly say?</p><p>He closed his eyes and reached out to the Force, but not too much, he was always careful. Perhaps Anakin would come back, one day...<em>but what if he came back? </em>Obi-Wan reached through the Force and allowed it to black him out. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The author shed a tear (or two) writing this chapter.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which the Skywalkers keep haunting Obi-Wan, until one doesn't.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Inside the Force he was awake but no longer existed within the limitations of his physical body. The Force felt calm, as it always did, and it gave him enough room for his imagination to relive memories. Obi-Wan focused on the last one he had of Anakin, <em> the real Anakin</em><em>,</em> before he boarded the ship to Utapau sixteen years ago. He saw his younger self facing Anakin. “I have trained you since you were a small boy, I’ve taught you everything I know, and you have become a far greater Jedi than I could ever hope to be.” said the younger Obi-Wan, smiling softly. There was warmth in the Force and Obi-Wan bathed in it. Both Obi-Wans were waiting for Anakin to answer, but he didn’t. </p><p>The younger Obi-Wan frowned. “Anakin? Are you alright?” But Anakin wasn’t answering and was still as a statue, and for a brief moment Obi-Wan doubted his own sanity. </p><p>“Anakin? What’s wrong?” asked the younger Obi-Wan. Anakin didn’t move. It was when the younger Obi-Wan placed a hand on Anakin’s shoulder that Anakin reacted, first opening his eyes, then shaking his head. In return, Anakin placed two hands on Obi-Wan’s shoulders and shook him with concern. “Are you alright?” </p><p>Both Obi-Wans stood there, confused. “Anakin, I am not hurt.” replied the young Obi-Wan. </p><p>It was then that Obi-Wan walked close enough to face Anakin, and the blackness of the space around them engulfed them. He was floating somewhere <em> dark </em>and<em> warm </em>and<em> so comfortable </em>he could die right there. </p><p>It was then that a voice spoke, echoing throughout the galaxy. “Are you alright? Please say you’re alright.” asked the voice, and Obi-Wan recognised it. Of course he would recognise it. He could recognise it anywhere: under water, in the void of space, in places where voices couldn’t even be heard.</p><p>“I’m alright.” he answered mechanically.</p><p>“Is this a joke? Are you asleep?” asked Anakin.</p><p>“I’m not asleep. I am meditating.” replied Obi-Wan calmly.</p><p>“Meditating?” asked Anakin slowly, trying to pronounce the word, “What for?”</p><p>“It distracts me.” sighed Obi-Wan.</p><p>“From what?” asked Anakin incredulously.</p><p>Obi-Wan was silent. “Life, I suppose.”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“You’re asking too many questions. What do you want, Anakin?”</p><p>“Anakin?” asked Anakin, pronouncing his own name with a hint of confusion, “...what? You’re hallucinating.”</p><p>Obi-Wan felt the galaxy shake and he felt himself getting pulled back to his body. The loss of the cosmic warmth made him groan. He opened his eyes and at first couldn’t distinguish anything but a bright light. </p><p>“Oh, you’re awake! I thought you were dead.” said the shadow. Obi-Wan blinked a few times and saw a young boy with dirty blonde hair under a hat that stuck to his forehead, covered in sweat, looking at him through worried blue eyes. </p><p>Obi-Wan blinked a few more times, now in disbelief. “An...Luke?” he whispered, still lying down on the sand. Luke nodded slowly, putting his hands on Obi-Wan’s shoulders and urging him to sit up. Obi-Wan sat down without much energy, his arms holding his weight behind him. Luke was kneeling down next to him, and Obi-Wan couldn’t bear to look at him. <em> Not today, not after Vader.   </em></p><p>Luke extended his hand and touched Obi-Wan’s cheek, clicking his tongue. “You’re covered in sand…” Obi-Wan flinched at the touch and Luke stopped. “Are you alright? Why are you lying here?”</p><p><em> I saw the ghost of your dead father. </em>“I was...meditating.” he said and his voice cracked.</p><p>Luke stared at him. “You blacked out.”</p><p>Obi-Wan looked around to avoid meeting his gaze. “Yes...?” </p><p>Luke shook his head and sighed. “Let’s get you inside.” he said, standing up and offering Obi-Wan his hand, but he didn't take it. </p><p>He went inside the house first, still dizzy, and Luke followed behind, sighing happily at a cooler environment. “I haven’t been here in ages!” he exclaimed. Obi-Wan stopped walking but didn’t turn around. Luke stepped closer. “I know it sucks that my uncle doesn’t let you visit much. I wish you did though.”</p><p>Obi-Wan swallowed but didn’t dare to move. “That’s...very nice of you to say.” His throat still stung.</p><p>“I haven’t seen you in like, what, four years?” asked Luke, laughing. <em> You haven’t seen me in four, I haven’t seen you in two. </em>“What have you been up to?”</p><p>Obi-Wan was pretending he was busy around the house, disappearing into rooms and coming back empty handed. He then stopped and looked at Luke. The boy was taller now, and his voice had changed. Obi-Wan’s heart pulsed in pain at how similar he looked to Anakin: the spread of his feet, his posture... but what didn’t scream Anakin was the way Luke laughed without a care in the world, which Anakin never did. </p><p>“I’m sorry, does your uncle know you’re here?” he asked.</p><p>Luke smiled mischievously with a hint of sadness. “Er...no, he doesn’t,” he said, sitting down on a chair, “I sort of...left a couple hours ago.”</p><p>Obi-Wan frowned. “Left?”</p><p>“We had an argument. It’s nothing.” said Luke, and Obi-Wan recognised the look. It was the same look Anakin had worn when something worried him. Obi-Wan was still hurting from his encounter with Vader’s ghost, but he took a chair and sat opposite Luke at the table. “It’s not nothing if you left in a hurry,” said Obi-Wan gently, feeling his heart explode when Luke smiled softly at him. “What happened?”</p><p>“Promise me you won’t tell a soul.”</p><p>Obi-Wan smiled. “I promise.” </p><p>Luke cleared his throat. “So, I’ve been thinking for a few months that I want to apply to this thing that I want to do...with my life, I mean.  I knew that my uncle wouldn’t be happy about it, so I waited until today to tell him. He didn’t take the news well, so we argued and then I couldn’t take it anymore so I took my speeder and left.”</p><p>Obi-Wan deadpanned. There was so much to unpack there<em>. </em>“It sounds like a long story. Do you want anything to drink? You’ve done a long distance.”</p><p>Luke stared at Obi-Wan. “Thanks, I’d appreciate it. The heat is terrible this time of year.” he said calmly, but there was something mischevious in his voice.</p><p>“All time of year, you mean.” added Obi-Wan, and Luke laughed. Obi-Wan filled a cup with the remaining water he had since he still hadn’t checked the vaporators because a ghost distracted him. He sat down and handed the water to Luke, but the boy pushed the cup back to him. “It’s for you. You need it.”</p><p>“Luke–”</p><p>“You’ve been lying outside for who knows how many hours! You’re dehydrated and I don’t want you sick.”</p><p>“I–”</p><p>“Ben,” said Luke, “I’ve brought water with me. I’m fine.”</p><p>Obi-Wan sighed and drank the water. His throat ached but welcomed the liquid. “So, tell me what happened in full detail. I haven’t seen you in a while.” Luke nodded and was about to speak when Obi-Wan interrupted. “Oh! Happy birthday, by the way.”</p><p>Luke’s eyes glittered with repressed excitement and his eyebrows shot up. “How–how do you know that it’s my birthday?”</p><p>“I have great memory for dates.” said Obi-Wan, feeling an invisible punch to his stomach.</p><p>“That’s so weird...but thank you.” Luke made himself comfortable in the chair and took off his hat, putting it on the table. Obi-Wan could see that his hair was a wavy mess, but he must have looked the same or even worse, considering that he still didn’t know for how long he had been outside<em>.</em> </p><p>“What do you think about the Empire?” asked Luke slowly. </p><p>Obi-Wan frowned, sadness engulfing his heart. He knew far too much about the Empire, and at the same time nothing at all<em>.</em> “I don’t go out much, but from what I have heard many systems are unhappy about it.”</p><p>Luke sighed and leaned in closer. “Yes, but what do <em> you </em> think about the Empire?”</p><p><em> I accidentally helped create it.</em> “If you’re worried that I am a snitch, I am not. You can speak freely about your own beliefs in front of me, Luke.”</p><p>Luke knew that wasn’t enough to guarantee someone’s silence on Tatooine, but he knew Ben was telling the truth. “Fine, I don’t like it.”</p><p>“Neither do I.” added Obi-Wan.</p><p>“I want to join the Imperial Academy.” said Luke.</p><p>Obi-Wan felt like he had been punched in the face. “The Imperial Academy?” he asked slowly, eyebrows reaching the suns.</p><p>Luke nodded. “Yes, to be a pilot.”</p><p><em> Two punches in the face.</em> “You want to join the Imperial Academy to become a pilot.” he repeated more to himself than to Luke. This wasn’t how he thought this day would go. Protecting Luke from the Emperor and Darth Vader wouldn’t exactly be easy if he decided to willingly join them.</p><p>“Oh, wait, wait...” he said laughing, “I want to join the Alliance and I want to be a pilot for them, not for the Empire.”</p><p><em> Three punches in the face. </em> “I–”</p><p>“I know it’s a lot to take in. Have you heard of the Alliance?” asked Luke.</p><p>Obi-Wan smiled, of course he had. He was there when it was created. “Not much. What do you know?”</p><p>“It’s a group of people that disagree with the brutality of the Empire. They’re at war right now.”</p><p>Obi-Wan didn’t know the last part. “And your uncle said No, I imagine?”</p><p>Luke nodded. “It’s just not fair.”</p><p><em> Four punches in the face. </em> This boy and his Skywalker-Amidala blood were going to be the death of him. “What were his reasons?”</p><p>“He said I wasn’t old enough and that I was naive for choosing to fight for what I believe is right.”</p><p><em> Five punches in the face. </em> Obi-Wan pulled the chair closer to the table. “Luke...standing up for what you believe is right is noble. Wars have been won because people persisted, because ideals matter. You are not naive for choosing this.” Wait, shouldn’t he be convincing the boy not to go?</p><p>“Thank you!” said Luke, “And then he also asked why I was so insistent on doing this with my life...I said that I hoped some of my father’s talents passed down to me,” he said, at then looked at Obi-Wan, who wasn’t blinking or breathing.  “I mean, my dad was a pilot, and my uncle just said “well but look where that's gotten him”. Can you believe that?”</p><p><em> Six punches in the face. </em>Obi-Wan didn’t know what Luke knew about his parents. “Your dad was a pilot?” Never in a million years Obi-Wan would have thought that a simple question could cause him so much pain. Pretending not to know someone you knew better than your own self was tragic enough, but it was even more tragic understanding that, at the end, Anakin ended up being a stranger to him, in less than twelve hours.</p><p>Luke nodded absentmindedly and Obi-Wan felt tears but resisted them. Luke’s gaze shot up. “Are you alright? You’re sad.”</p><p>Obi-Wan swallowed. “I’m not.” he whispered, avoiding Luke’s gaze.</p><p>“Yes, you are! I can feel it.”</p><p>Obi-Wan closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself. “You feel <em> things </em> ?” he asked in hope, his voice small. He wasn’t ready to have this conversation, he never would be. It felt <em>wrong. </em>This wasn’t his place, it should have been Anakin to teach Luke about the Force, not him. </p><p>“I feel things sometimes. I can’t explain it, you wouldn’t understand.”</p><p>Obi-Wan smiled warmly. “How do you know if I would understand if you haven’t explained it to me?”</p><p>Luke nodded. “You’re right. Well, I... It’s always been there, something inside me...telling me where to go, where someone is, what emotions people are feeling, it’s weird.”</p><p>“It is not weird, Luke-”</p><p>Luke interrupted. “Like today, for example. I wanted to visit a friend but ended up here, miles away.”</p><p>“Yes, why are you here? Not that your visit is unpleasant, of course. You are free to come anytime you like.” stated Obi-Wan politely. <em> Please. </em></p><p>“I took the path to Biggs’ home but there was this push telling me to go the other way. I felt pain coming from afar, so I just followed it. It was like a...”</p><p>“A force?” asked Obi-Wan, his heart a strange cocktail of hope and anxiety.</p><p>“Yes! A force.”</p><p>Obi-Wan wanted to cry. The Skywalkers were going to be the death of him. “Luke, I–”</p><p>Luke shifted in his chair and looked at Obi-Wan. “Wait, can we get some things out of the way?” he asked, tone serious.</p><p>Obi-Wan was confused. “Yes, of course.”</p><p>“Can you tell me why you were lying on the sand, crying?” asked Luke, and Obi-Wan clenched his jaw and looked at his hands, “I’m not going to judge. This is Tatooine, I’ve seen a lot.” Luke reassured him.</p><p>Obi-Wan couldn’t lie, even if his life as Ben Kenobi was built on lies. “I was not having a good day, but you’re here now.” said Obi-Wan with fake cheerfulness even Yoda could see through. </p><p>“You’re lying, don’t lie to me, please. I want to help.” said Luke softly, and something in voice reminded him of Padmé, before the– before she–</p><p>“Who is she?” asked Luke.</p><p>Obi-Wan froze. “What?” He didn’t know the scope of Luke’s force-sensitivity, but if he was in any way like Anakin it would be high and uncontrollable. </p><p>Luke leaned back on the chair and yawned. “That woman you’re thinking about.”</p><p>Obi-Wan lost his ability to breathe. “An old friend of mine. My apologies, I shall think quieter. I know how disturbing it is when strangers’ thoughts are splashed all over you.”</p><p>Luke paled. “You feel these things too?” he whispered.</p><p>“I do, and Luke, we are not the only ones who can. It is rare <em> now,</em>” said Obi-Wan, trying not to think about the purge, “but people like you and I have always existed across the galaxy, and always will. It's nothing to be ashamed of.”</p><p>Luke sat there, mouth opened. Obi-Wan smiled at the sight. “Oh, do cheer up. These are good news!”</p><p>“I–”, Luke coughed and suddenly paled even more, his anxiety and suspicion palpable through the Force, “I thought it was something only Jedi could do?”</p><p><em>Seven punches in the face. </em>“Yes, but it extends to further people than just Jedi.”</p><p>Luke frowned conspiratorially. “And how do you even know these things?” Obi-Wan laughed nervously. He wasn’t ready to have this conversation. “Did you know any Jedi, before they, you know...disappeared?”</p><p>Obi-Wan was forcing himself to breathe. “I met some.”</p><p>“My uncle said my father was a Jedi.”</p><p>Obi-Wan exploded. Tatooine was flooded by an immense wave of guilt and nostalgia that anyone Force-sensitive would have felt like an electric shock. Upon realising what he just did, Obi-Wan repressed the pain deeper into his heart. It was far too late, because Luke jumped from his chair and was looking out of the window anxiously. “What was that?! Is it the Tuskens?!” </p><p>“I’m sorry.” said Obi-Wan, pleading that Luke wouldn’t make the connection.</p><p>Luke leaned on the wall and looked at Obi-Wan. “You’re very sad, Ben. I’d like to help, if I can.”</p><p>“What you’re describing: the Force, the Jedi, your father, the Alliance...It is not pleasant for me to hear.” he said slowly, aware that he was being cryptic.</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>Obi-Wan couldn't pretend anymore. He was so tired. “Luke, I knew your father.”</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>It was the first time that Obi-Wan felt Luke’s presence in the Force flicker with emotion. It was brief and a small thing, but it was intense. “What? Is that...why you visited so often when I was a kid?”</p><p>Obi-Wan nodded. “His death affected me at considerable length, so you can only imagine the state I’m in when you speak about him...and taking after him to become a pilot.”</p><p>“Do you think I take after him?” asked Luke, eyes filled with tears and childlike enthusiasm. </p><p>Obi-Wan couldn’t hold his own tears, so he just sniffled and wiped off one that was threatening to spill. “I do, very much. That is the reason behind my sadness, but do not worry about it. I am more than happy to have you here, Luke.”</p><p>Luke nodded and stared at the ground. Then, he frowned and snapped back to look at Obi-Wan. “Wait a minute, if you said you knew him...” he mumbled, eyes going left and right across the table and then looked brightly at Obi-Wan, “Are you a Jedi, too?”</p><p>Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows and blinked. “That’s not what I...”</p><p>“For the Suns, you are!” exclaimed Luke, grinning and clapping his hands together, “I can’t believe this!”</p><p>Obi-Wan didn’t share the boy’s enthusiasm. “I must ask you to keep this between us. You are aware the Empire is on the hunt for Jedi.”</p><p>Luke nodded fastly, like a bomb ready to explode with questions. “Of course, of course. I will be very quiet, but why is the Empire hunting you?”</p><p>“He invented that the Jedi were the reason behind the downfall of the Republic, and that we were the enemies of the Empire. Traitors, it would seem.”</p><p>“He?” frowned Luke.</p><p>“The Emperor.” sighed Obi-Wan.</p><p>Luke’s eyes widened. “You know the Emperor?!” </p><p>Obi-Wan nodded sadly, gaze lost on the table. “He was under the protection of the Jedi.”</p><p>Luke made a face. “But, I thought the Jedi defended the Republic?”</p><p>“We did, the Emperor used to be the Chancellor of the Republic. He then proclaimed the Empire when all his enemies were killed, and sixteen years later here we are..." he said, and smiled sadly, "still.”</p><p>“Who killed his enemies?”</p><p><em> Eight punches in the face. </em> “Let’s just say he had people do the dirty work for him.”</p><p>“That’s awful...but, was my father against him, right? Was he a great Jedi?”</p><p>Obi-Wan smiled bittersweetly. “One of the best.”</p><p>“Were you two close?”</p><p><em> Nine punches in the face. </em> “We were inseparable.” Obi-Wan never thought that a word could sting so much.</p><p>“I–” said Luke, overcome with emotion, “I have so many questions to ask you. Why didn’t you–”</p><p>“You were too young to understand.”</p><p>Luke made no remark. “What was he like?” he asked. </p><p>Obi-Wan fell silent, because even after sixteen years he couldn't describe everything that Anakin was. “He was the best pilot in the galaxy, a good friend and a cunning warrior. He would have loved you very much.” Luke let out a sob and immediately tried to repress it back, gaze locked on the floor and hands covering his face. Obi-Wan couldn’t handle this. He stood up and kneeled in front of Luke, putting one hand on his back and the other hand on his knee. He avoided visibly flinching at the human contact. </p><p>“I know how much this hurts to hear, but I am telling the truth. You will be fine,” he whispered gently despite his own tightness in his chest, “I can’t even begin to imagine your grief at this moment–”</p><p>Luke sniffled and looked down at Obi-Wan, eyes watery. “No no, I’m– I’m sad for something else.”</p><p>“What is it?” asked Obi-Wan softly, voice barely audible. He felt an impulse to protect Luke at any costs.</p><p>Luke swallowed and sniffled the tears in. “How do you live here, all alone?” he asked slowly, “Knowing that your friend is gone and his child is here but you’re forbidden to see him? And on top of that the Empire wants you dead?” he paused, “I’m sad about you, Ben.” he whispered. </p><p>Obi-Wan’s knees were starting to shake. His entire being was so focused on Luke that he wasn’t aware he was crying too. </p><p>Luke closed his eyes. “My father might be dead but now that I know you cared about each other...I think it’s only fair we both get back the love we lost.” he whispered slowly, and opened his eyes to look at Obi-Wan.</p><p>Obi-Wan shattered into millions of pieces. He slumped down to the floor, his head pressing against Luke’s knee and arms clinging around Luke’s leg as if he would leave. Luke didn’t comment on the first act of vulnerability he saw from Ben, instead choosing to put a hand on top of his head and keeping it there. They sat like that in silence, both contemplating what they’ve learnt. Luke didn’t move an inch and Obi-Wan’s grip on his leg didn’t fade.</p><p>Obi-Wan realised that the boy might be the galaxy’s only hope to restore the peace, but at that moment it didn’t matter. The galaxy could wait, because as he held onto the boy’s leg for his dear life he understood that Luke Skywalker might be his only hope too.</p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Epilogue: Three Years Later</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>"Where there's Kenobi, you will always find Skywalker not far behind."</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Master and General of the Clone Wars was covered in sand from head to toe. He had to fix the fence, again. He frowned at its dozens of broken pieces that laid shattered around his house in a circle. Anakin had been reckless, but his child was something else. He was interrupted by something pulling at the Force bond he now shared with Luke.</p><p>"Obi-Wan? Obi-Wan, you’re not going to believe this!” Obi-Wan no longer confused Luke’s presence in the Force with Anakin’s as he first did three years ago. Anakin’s signature in the Force was intense and dangerous, but Luke’s was like a bright sun. But as a star, it also burnt and destroyed fences by accident. </p><p>“What’s wrong?" </p><p>Luke’s presence in the Force shone brighter as they became more connected. “My uncle just bought an astromech unit that says he belongs to someone named Obi-Wan Kenobi!”</p><p>Obi-Wan frowned. “I don’t remember owning a droid.”</p><p>“Well, he says he has a message for you.”</p><p>“It might be dangerous, Luke.”</p><p>“Precisely! I’ll be there within an hour.” Obi-Wan shook his head. The Skywalkers were going to be the death of him. He lifted the pieces from the sand with a wave of his hand, making them float behind him and follow him inside the house.</p><p>Luke arrived on his speeder in less than an hour, and when Obi-Wan was about to scold him for driving too fast, he saw Luke lifting a droid with the Force and placing him on the ground. He was nineteen now, and sometimes when he turned around or stood a certain way Obi-Wan saw Anakin.</p><p>The droid beeped furiously when it hit the floor rather awkwardly. Obi-Wan stared at it, but he didn’t need eyes to recognise the droid. “Artoo?” he asked in shock. The droid stood still and beeped something in confusion. Luke stared at it, smiling. “He says you’re not Obi-Wan Kenobi.”</p><p>Obi-Wan smiled and kneeled in front of the droid to look at him. “Artoo, it’s me, Master Kenobi. An older version of him, anyway.” R2-D2 had some more scratches but so far no one had made any physical modifications to him. The droid circled around Obi-Wan with aggressive beeps and then hit him a couple times, nearly causing Obi-Wan to fall. </p><p>Luke’s eyes widened. “He says you...have some explaining to do?”</p><p>Obi-Wan laughed. “I think you do too, Artoo. Why are you here? You know I’m not your owner.”</p><p>Artoo completely ignored him and rolled inside the house, knocking some things over. “Do you know him?” asked Luke, following him inside.</p><p>Obi-Wan stared fondly at the droid. “It’s R2-D2.”</p><p>“That was my father’s astromech unit? From the stories you told me about?”</p><p>“Yes. Anakin programmed it to his liking, so it’s no wonder he’s...like this.” he said, looking at Artoo hitting a chair a couple of times so it hit the ground, “You will find him less <em> cooperative </em> than other droids, but infinitely more helpful. If he chooses to be.” At the mention of Anakin’s name Artoo turned around and rolled to Obi-Wan, hitting him a couple of times on the leg, beeping intensely. Obi-Wan looked at Luke, pleading for help.</p><p>Luke’s eyes widened. “He says...uh, I’m going to quote,” he said with a blush. <em> “</em>Anakin’s gone fucking crazy, what’s happened to you? It’s been ages. The golden trash can had his memory wiped and doesn’t remember shit so I have no one to complain about Obi-Wan Kenobi to.”</p><p>Obi-Wan smiled against his wishes and kneeled to look at Artoo, who stopped beeping. “What’s the message? Who sent you?”</p><p>Artoo rolled backwards and projected a holo message of a young woman, dressed in long white robes. “General Kenobi. Years ago you served my father in the Clone Wars. Now he begs you to help him in his struggle against the Empire.” her voice was sweet but determined, and Obi-Wan tensed at the memory of a Senator who had a similar way of speaking. “...I regret that I am unable to present my father's request to you in person, but my ship has fallen under attack, and I'm afraid my mission to bring you to Alderaan has failed.”</p><p>“I have placed information vital to the survival of the Rebellion into the memory systems of this R2 unit. My father will know how to retrieve it. You must see this droid safely delivered to him on Alderaan. This is our most desperate hour. Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope.”</p><p>Artoo froze the holo video and turned to beep suspiciously at Obi-Wan. Luke translated, “Get out of this dust ball and help her."  </p><p>“Artoo, is that by any chance Leia Organa?” whispered Obi-Wan. Artoo beeped and Obi-Wan didn’t need any translation. He knew who she was the moment she spoke, he could have recognised that voice anywhere. Leia Organa spoke with the same conviction as <em>she </em> did, but according to the trouble she was in, she seemed to take after <em> him. </em> His predictions had been right: the Skywalker family could burn the entire galaxy to the ground.</p><p>“Luke, we need to get this droid to Alderaan.”</p><p>“I’m not going to Alderaan! I’ve got work to do.”</p><p>Obi-Wan stared at Luke. “Luke, this is important.”</p><p>Luke thought about it, and Obi-Wan could see how his youthful impulsivity from three years ago had faded. “Fine, but I’ll have to ask my uncle first, and we need a ship.”</p><p>“We need a ship, right…I know someone in Mos Eisley that could help.”</p><p>Luke made a face. “Obi-Wan Kenobi having contacts...that’s not something I’d ever thought I see.” teased Luke.</p><p>Obi-Wan waved a hand, smiling timidly. “You should have seen me in my glory days.”</p><p>Luke smiled. “I would have loved to, you know that.” he said softly.</p><p>Obi-Wan took a deep breath and watched Luke leave with Artoo behind his trail, knocking a vase over. It was a strange image, one he had seen far too often in a different life, but it didn't pain him anymore. Obi-Wan heard the sound of a speeder engine starting and stepped outside. Luke was trying to sloppily lift Artoo from the ground using the Force. He managed to lift the droid from the ground and move him close enough to his speeder so that the droid fell horizontally on the back seat.</p><p>Obi-Wan leaned on the front door. “Come back as soon as you can and be safe. Don’t use it unless strictly necessary. There might be stormtroopers around.” he said, watching Luke get in his speeder. </p><p>Luke looked at his father's lightsaber that clung to his belt. “It won’t take long. I shall see you soon, General Kenobi.” he said, imitating politeness. Artoo beeped on the back seat. </p><p>Obi-Wan clicked his tongue. “Don’t call me that.” he replied jokingly and Luke laughed. It was a sound Obi-Wan would never grow tired of hearing. Luke disappeared out of view, and Obi-Wan could hear Artoo beeping aggressively as Luke sped up down the cliff. Obi-Wan smiled at the sight, and watched them become a dot in the horizon. He had a feeling that things would change soon, that this was the moment he had trained Luke for. All his years of waiting came to this, but Luke was ready to face his destiny and no matter what happened Obi-Wan would always be with him, always. </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I have a lot of feels about Obi-Wan talking to Luke about Anakin and their near-death experiences during the clone wars. After this, Luke went to his house and found his family had been killed, so when he returned to Obi-Wan he was more determined than ever to join the Alliance. What happens next you can watch A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and The Return of The Jedi.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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